How can I stop my 8-month-old male cat from spraying in the house?

Intact male cats often spray in the home due to elevated testosterone. Instead of isolating him, which will only make him more anxious and likely to spray more, I would suggest getting him on anti-anxiety medication through your vet. Fluoxetine can work well for cats that spray in the home and can be used up 1-2 months after his neuter, which is the typical time it takes for all the testosterone to diminish in the body. You can also consider moving him neuter surgery to an earlier date. I hope this helps and best of luck getting Mochi to stop spraying in the home. Take care.

This is a normal territory marking behavior and may be triggered by new cats in the area, changes in the routine or layout of furniture and puberty. It does reduce in many cats as they become used to a routine, territory and neighborhood cats (even in indoor cats they are influenced by scents from outside). Neutering would likely help to reduce the behavior

This can happen from stress, and also because Onyx isn't neutered, he may be doing this to show the home is his territory. I'd definitely have him neutered, and use a Feliway diffuser in the home to see if that helps settle him. Cleaning up the marking areas is tough, but I recommend using Skout's Honor cleaning products to get rid of the smell. I've found them to be effective. You can get them online or at a pet store. I hope this helps!

No, there isn't. If you have multiple cats, keep a litterbox per cat plus an additional box in a "neutral" area of the house. Try litterbox attractants. You can find them in most pet stores or at www.pet360.com. Consider pheromone sprays or collars to decrease any stress or anxiety. If he can see out a window, draw the blinds to restrict his view. He could be seeing an outdoor cat that he perceives as a threat. Use a small animal repellent along the border of your property. Use an enzymatic cleaner such as Nature's Miracle to thoroughly clean sprayed areas.

It's likely that getting him neutered would help - "spraying" or urinating on objects in the house and wanting to roam outside are both very normal behaviors for intact males, so this is definitely the first thing I would suggest. These two things are the main reasons that almost all indoor male cats in the US are neutered :) Since he's almost two years old, there is a chance that neutering may not resolve these issues completely - behaviors like this can become a learned habit if they go on for long enough, so I would recommend having the neuter done as soon as possible.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Rabbit. Spraying can be due to a medical or behavioral problem. Good news is that both are treatable. Medical problems are usually due to cats developing Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease or Syndrome, also known as Feline Interstitial Cystitis. This has many causes including stress, infection, urinary crystals/stones which all lead to bladder inflammation among other changes including spraying. I would advise making an appointment with your veterinarian so they can examine him and perform some tests including a urinalysis to see if there are signs of a medical problem. Sometimes blood tests are required to make sure the kidneys and internal organs are functioning properly. Once a diagnosis is made there are various ways to treat this including drugs to treat the stress, infection (if any), and the inflammation. Sometimes a special diet is advised if crystals are present. Or even surgery if urinary stones are actually present depending on the type of stones and how big/how many there are. Behavioral problems are assumed if the medical tests come back normal. These problems can be addressed with some medications in the hopes of decreasing/stopping the urine spraying. One last thing, if it's medical and a lower urinary problem, male cats can block with this disease which can prevent them from urinating. If you notice no urine production, get him evaluated immediately. Good luck with Rabbit. I hope this resolves soon.

It certainly might. Urine marking is a normal and expected behavior for intact males, so neutering is one of the first things we recommend if your cat is doing this. The earlier it's done, the better - this is because the longer this behavior continues, the more it will become a habit that may not resolve after the neuter. It's important to realize that urine marking can also be related to stress or anxiety, so if this is the case, these issues would also need to be addressed in order to resolve the behavior.